Schalke's Champions League dream continues after they beat Porto 4-1 on penalties to progress to the quarter-finals.
Neuer saves see Germans reach last eight
Schalke's Champions League dream continues after they beat Porto 4-1 on penalties to progress to the quarter-finals.
Already through to the knock-out stage for the first time, the German side stunned the home crowd by prevailing in the shoot-out and knocking out the 2004 winners.
Schalke travelled to Portugal with a 1-0 advantage from the first leg and looked destined to go through when Porto defender Fucile was sent off just eight minutes from time.
An 86th-minute strike from Porto's Lisandro Lopez took the game into extra-time, but Schalke booked their place in the last eight after goalkeeper Manuel Neuer capped a superb performance with two saves in the shoot-out.
Porto attacked from the outset in a bid to wipe out their first-leg deficit with full-back Jose Bosingwa testing Neuer with a 20-yard drive as early as the second minute.
Reflex save
Neuer was then out quickly to block Lisandro's 11th-minute effort, and just a minute later the Schalke keeper pulled off a fine reflex save to turn Tarik Sektioui's close-range header round the post.
Schalke regrouped and Porto struggled to break the visitors down until Neuer blocked a 25-yard drive by Ricardo Quaresma in the 37th minute.
Schalke's best chance of the half came as Kevin Kuranyi headed wide from Levan Kobiashvili's 42nd-minute free-kick, but Porto remained on top after the break.
Sektioui thought he had scored with a close-range header but Neuer denied the Porto striker with a sensational save, somehow managing to fling himself across goal and turn the ball wide with his left foot.
That save stunned Porto and they were almost caught napping in the 63rd minute as a defensive mix-up gifted Halil Altintop a shooting opportunity 25 yards out with Helton out of his goal.
Helton saved Altintop's shot at least a yard outside his area but the Porto keeper went unpunished as the handball was missed by English referee Howard Webb.
Schalke enjoyed some consolation for that blunder when Webb showed Fucile a straight red card for a one-footed lunge on Altintop despite the Porto defender winning the ball.
Late strike
Porto's hopes of levelling the tie looked dead but Lisandro stunned Schalke by turning to fire a blistering strike in off the underside of the bar just four minutes from time.
Schalke failed to make their numerical advantage count in extra-time, but Neuer saved a tame effort from Bruno Alves to give them the initiative in the shoot-out.
Altintop put Schalke 3-1 up before Neuer blocked Lisandro's spot-kick with a superb full-length dive and Jermaine Jones converted to seal it for Schalke.
| FC Porto |
Team Statistics |
FC Schalke 04 |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 12 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 12 |
Shots off Target |
7 |
| 7 |
Blocked Shots |
2 |
| 11 |
Corners |
6 |
| 31 |
Fouls |
32 |
| 2 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
4 |
| 1 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 82.8 |
Passing Success |
76.5 |
| 37 |
Tackles |
49 |
| 81.1 |
Tackles Success |
71.4 |
| 59.4 |
Possession |
40.6 |
| 54.2 |
Territorial Advantage |
45.8 |
|
